Installation Overview

This document provides a general overview of the installation process for setting up machines to be managed by the ControlTier software.

There are two kinds of machines in a ControlTier environment:

• Manager Machine: Runs the ControlTier Workbench server and has the ControlTier client software installed. From this machine centralized management of client machines occur.
• Client Machine: Contains ControlTier-client software. From these machines, application deployments are managed. Examples of these machines are those hosting web, application server, database, mail, portal, custom/proprietary apps, cluster components, etc.

Manager Machine

The role of the manager machine is to act as a repository of data and release artifacts, and to be a place where centralized management of client machines can be performed.

The ControlTier Server software provides the repository and data management applications. The server can be setup using two types of configuration:

1. Enterprise: The enterprise server configuration is meant for large scale, production use. This configuration requires a relational database for storing model data, and an LDAP repository for storing user credentials for authentication and authorization.

   Refer to the Server section of the installation HOWTOs for information about setting up app servers to use "RDB + Ldap".

2. Development: The development server configuration is meant for small scale use, typically for users that are developing modules or working on their own small projects. This configuration uses file-based data storage.

   Refer to the Server section of the installation HOWTOs for information about setting up app servers "only".

Client Machine

The role of the client machine is to host application service(s) or automated process.

The ControlTier client software, Commander, provides a framework and local repository for managing the application service(s) or automated process.

Refer to the Client section of the installation HOWTOs for information about setting up a client machine.

ControlTier uses SSH for remote execution. The SSH configuration must allow the manager machine to dispatch commands to client machines. Therefore, SSH is assumed to be installed and configured appropriately to allow this access. Also, SSH should not prompt for a password.